Welcome to The Dark Side.....Of Color

The silver vases in the background were found at a flea market in Abilene. They had the original tag on them of $40 each but I "stole" em for 4 bucks apiece. They are very heavy!

I saw this rooster weather vane in a magazine for $80 and then found the exact one in a thrift store for $10. The amber glass candle holder was a mark down at Hobby Lobby for $2. My flowers came from garage sales.

This yellow and green piece is a headboard for a water bed that I repurposed as a hutch. It was ugly brown and sitting outside a thirft store when I spotted it for $20. It went well in my other house but needs to be repainted black for this house so it will pop against the wall color I painted in my dining room.

I soooo copied the door knob idea from Sue and everything you see was a thrift store find or given to me.

Here I actually lightened something ~ the brick. It was dark red with black grout and made my decorations disappear so I dry brushed it Colonial Cream and then added just a touch of black and tan. It really makes my fireplace stand out.

I fell in love with the chippy red/white enamel pitcher that my ivy is planted in. Another flea market find for $2 (Notice that I do A LOT of crock pot meals.) ha

The sled came from a flea market that was going out of business so I got it for over half off what they originally wanted. It makes a great easel for my glass rooster picture.

My love of dark rich colors spills over into my living room which has a touch of cowgirl chic. I have 4 of these American Cowboy prints that were marked down to nothing. I found thrift store frames with glass and had them framed up at my local Hobby Lobby for under $20 each.

The silver vases in the background were found at a flea market in Abilene. They had the original tag on them of $40 each but I "stole" em for 4 bucks apiece. They are very heavy!

I love being able to peek into the lives of fellow junkers and get an idea of what kind of style they are drawn too. So far I've seen a lot of open, airy, comfortable and lightly beautiful spaces. I just wanted to share a little of my dark and warm color pallete. I like a mix of colors and textures so my style is very eclectic and I love to mix mediums. I bought a fix-er-upper 2 years ago (what was I thinking???!) and it is still being "fixed up" so I can only show you snippettes of the chaos, but everything you see was a bargain. I'm cheap folks! I don't pay full price for very many things. I got my stuff, my car, my house etc etc for a bargain price and I love the adrenaline rush that comes with every purchase or find! We all know that you don't have to spend a fortune to decorate your home and here's more proof!

Comments (15)

RoseGardenRomantic writes: Your home looks so warm, cozy and inviting!
Posted: 4:32 pm on March 3rd

RustyDiva writes: Hi JanieBV. Hope you get this since it's been so long (sorry)The thing about brick is that it sucks up about any paint. I just used some leftover wall paint. The area around the stove doesn't get very hot so I didn't worry about it being fire retardent. I know what you mean by being scary to do because if you don't like it then it would be a nightmare to get off! I lived with that ugly black grout for 2 years before I took the leap and I figured if I didn't like it then I could always paint it brick red again.

Thank you so much for your compliment and let me know if you paint yours. Good luck!
Posted: 10:14 am on November 13th

JanieBV writes: Love all your ideas. Who would have thought to make a buffet from a waterbed headboard? It's fabulous. Could you tell me what kind of paint you used to paint your fireplace? I want so badly to paint mine but I'm afraid to. What happens if you don't like it and want to remove it or change it back to it's original brick? I've looked online and found "fireplace brick painting kits" and they are super expensive. I'm "frugal" like you and refuse to pay that much money. Your brick looks great.
Posted: 11:54 am on November 9th

jacklynn4 writes: I like the light and airy but it does need a "punch" of dark and warm color to make things "pop." It looks like you have an "alter" to creativity there-love that idea!
Posted: 8:01 am on October 12th

chippingcharm writes: Wonderful...love all your bargains! Thanks for the look inside your home. I just love to see how others put things together. I use mostly lighter colors but I too love the richer colors...I always tease my hubby that I need a second home to decorate!!! Thanks again for the peek :) Laurel
Posted: 9:10 pm on October 5th

oldnews writes: That leather chair is to die for! Looks SO comfy! What a wonderful place you have! Marie
Posted: 1:23 pm on October 5th

RustyDiva writes: Thank you so much my friends. I don't love my new house just yet but it's getting there slowly. At least I love pieces of it now ~ it was a real wreck when I bought it.

Sharon ~ glad there are other "cheap o's" out there!

Janis ~ any time you want to stop by for a cup of tea, I would love to meet you!

Greencolleen ~ sounds like you and I could do some damage in the thrift store department!

Candy ~ I haven't posted the hutch before and I can't wait to paint it black. You're right, sometimes I just want to curl up with a good book and never leave my house (especially on rainy days) I'm very much a home~body.

Thank you all for your sweet comments. My friends always say my house feels cozy and inviting. I read a comment from Sue about a home needing to feel like a big hug when you walk in and that's what I want my home to be. And you guys have a hand in it by submitting all your great ideas on this site so thanks for the many many gifts!!

Junk_Sophisticate writes: That waterbed hutch is fantastic! Have you not shown that to us before? Wow! Love your color palette in the rest of your home. Makes me want to curl up on that leather chair of yours with coffee in hand.

Nice post, RustyDiva!
Candy
Posted: 4:02 pm on October 2nd

Grasshopper22 writes: I love your style...very inviting. Your waterbed/hutch is a great idea...hmmmmm
Posted: 8:43 am on October 2nd

greencolleen writes: i'm with you. i try to get the best deals out there. so you go girl!!!!! i think repurposing is the best. i also get that adrenalin rush. i work with folks much younger than me. so im trying to show them how to repurpose and conserve. i scored 3 dooney and burke purses and a leather backpack plus other stuff for $5.00. last week i got a liz claiborn woven leather bag for $2.00. i do not consider myself cheap, but thrifty, which by they way is the new chic. i also think this kind of decorating has a lot more character ;).and and i actually get to support some great thrift stores aka salvation army, womens assistance league and a hospice thrift store .
Posted: 10:17 pm on October 1st

fellowjunker writes: Love your warm colours.....you have a great gift for putting colours together and making a warm, cozy environment (one of the reasons my house is all black and white and cream is because I have a hard time with putting colour together, so I envy people that can so cozily!). You have wonderful junk finds incorporated into your decorating. I love how each one has a story!
So nice to have a look into your wonderful home. How about a cup of tea next time?
Happy day my friend.
xojanis
Posted: 2:50 pm on October 1st

grannijo writes: Love the warm colors..It is always fun to find things at bargain prices!!!...I haven't shopped any malls or downtown's in about 40 years...I TOO ANY A "CHEAP-O"...Thanks for letting us look into your warm home...sharon
Posted: 1:34 pm on October 1st

suewhitney writes: Very beautiful, Rusty Diva! I too am a big fan of rich, warm colors...yummy!! Looks like you have a great start on your fixer-upper. Thanks so much for giving us a peek.